Petticoat Hill
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Petticoat Hill
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| location | Massachusetts , United States | |
| surface | 24.3 ha | |
| WDPA ID | 55554169 | |
| Geographical location | 42 ° 23 ' N , 72 ° 45' W | |
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| Setup date | 1906 | |
| administration | The Trustees of Reservations | |
Petticoat Hill ( German Petticoat Hill ) is a 60 acres (24.3 ha ) nature reserve around the 1,181 ft (360 m ) high elevation of the same name near Williamsburg in the state of Massachusetts in the United States . It is managed by The Trustees of Reservations organization.
Protected area
Legend has it that a family with seven daughters once lived on the hill, and each of them wore five petticoats . Every Monday was laundry day, when the family hung their laundry on long lines to dry. The 35 petticoats waving in the wind could be seen for miles and gave the hill its name.
Petticoat Hill is one of a group of three hills within the Berkshire Mountains that rise more than 1,000 ft (304.8 m) above Williamsburg. In the late 18th century, this was the most populous part of the city where agriculture was brisk . Since the pastures and arable land had no trees, Mount Tom , the Connecticut River and the city of Holyoke could be seen from the highest point of the hill in the 19th century . With the end of agriculture, the forest returned, so that today the view is obscured by trees. The biodiversity is very high and ranges from hemlocks and Weymouth pines to red and white oak , yellow and black birch and sugar and red maple to hickory . Some of the trees are some of the tallest in the region, over 110 ft (33.5 m) tall. 1.5 mi (2.4 km ) of hiking trails are available for visitors.
See also
Individual evidence
- ^ Property History. The Trustees of Reservations , accessed April 30, 2014 .
- ↑ About Petticoat Hill. The Trustees of Reservations , accessed April 30, 2014 .